Amazing Thai Food You’ve Probably Never Tried

I’ve observed a lot of people tend to eat the same things over and over when they visit Thailand (PAD THAI ANYONE??). This makes sense: a lot of the restaurants catered to tourists feature the same items on the menu and a lot of tourists are absolute pussies about spicy food.

Now, I’m not especially adventurous when it comes to food — keep your deep-fried water bugs FAR AWAY FROM ME. And your chicken feet, live shrimps, and congealed pig’s blood for that matter. But. I have explored a bit in the past 2.5 non-consecutive years of living here.

Jim jum / shabu shabu / Hot pot – Oo this one’s fun. You’ll see a bunch of people sitting around steaming clay pots or a massive outdoor restaurant with people sitting over mini steaming hot pots and that’s how you know. Every place does the set up a little differently but the idea is you get a bunch of ingredients and you put them into the broth or on a grill, or both, and cook it all yourself. Then you eat it.

Thai chicken noodle soup, though you usually add lots of spicy to it as well | Source

Gang hed / Mushroom soup – One of Thailand’s few dishes that naturally doesn’t have meat in it. Usually different types of mushrooms, pumpkin, and Thai eggplant.

Gang hed or mushroom soup in the foreground with som tam or papaya salad and fried pork and sticky rice in the background

Sukiyaki (soup) – Glass noodles, morning glory, cabbage, meat, egg in a broth with sukiyaki flavoring. You could also get the “dry” version which is stir-fried instead but I prefer soup because I love soup.

Chicken sukiyaki soup

Mains

Bla pao / Salted grilled fish – Fish stuffed with lemongrass and other spices and salted. Grilled to tenderness and served with spicy sauces and sticky rice.

Fruits

Durian – King of fruits. Everyone says it’s stinky and tastes like garbage and I’m over here like okay fine more for me. Durian’s delicious. It’s creamy and sweet. Now I want some just writing about it.

Things that are more mainstream that I still love

You’ll see these items on menus in more Westernized restaurants. I really hate most things on the tourist menus (not because I consider myself too good for it or anything but because I’m sick of eating it) but these ones still get me going. I recommend trying them Thai style, in a non-Westernized restaurant if you get the chance because you’ll find some are prepared totally differently.

Pa pia sod / Fresh spring rolls – You can also get them fried but I prefer the fresh ones. They come with a dipping sauce which differs depending on the restaurant but usually includes sweet chili sauce and peanuts in some form.

Hello and welcome!

Hey! My name is Michelle but you can call me Mishvo. I’m a freelance writer by day and world explorer by, well, other days. I write about travel and the digital nomad lifestyle to inspire others to pursue the lifestyle that’s right for them. Click here for more about me and this blog.

Where I am currently: AtlantaLast stop: LondonUp next: ?

KEEP ME POSTED

Get monthly behind-the-scenes updates on where I am and what I'm doing sent to your inbox.

I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information )

No spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

Follow me on Bloglovin

Looking for something?

Support this site

If you like what you read, you can easily support my blog by clicking this link next time you go to buy something from Amazon. I’m an affiliate so I’ll make a [very] small commission at zero extra cost to you!